The Best Naples Street Food in Italy | 23 Delicious Snacks to Try!
Naples, the capital of Campania in Italy. Campania, the unofficial capital of Italian food. Oo, that’s a bold statement but every foodie who travels to any city in Italy claims it as the best place for food in Italy so let me be!
I’m not being dramatic but Naples food was some of the tastiest food I’ve ever had. The authenticity oozed through the pasta and drizzled off the pizza! Although there are dozens of incredible meals in Naples, this is a post about the best Naples street food has.
There are so many Naples street food Italy can boast of and I’m going to list the very best street food Naples has to offer, including a description and an overview of the Naples food tours you can consider!
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Contents (jump to)
Naples Essentials
- Naples is a paradise for foodies so come with your appetite!
- I highly recommend taking along reusable cutlery, straws and cups. Why? When you visit Naples, you’ll notice the excessive waste and lack of recycling in the city so doing this little bit can help.
- The bible, Lonely Planet’s Naples Guide for touring the city.
- Read Stanley Tucci’s Taste including excellent recipes from Naples and watch Gino D’Campo’s Italian Adventure for a genuine look at his home city and foods.
- Practice the chef’s kiss 😉
- I enjoyed all this wonderful Naples Italy food while staying at Hotel Ginerva. Which was an excellent location for the best pizza and gelato but if you’d prefer to find somewhere yourself, search the map here:
Where to Find These Foods?
Naples is the number one home of these street food items with the very best found in this city.
Many of these street foods are found all over the region of Campania including the islands off Naples such as Capri, Ischia and Procida as well as cities and towns like Salerno, Positano, Amalfi and Sorrento.
Best Street Food in Naples Guide!
Even the Naples airport food and supermarket sandwiches were good so you know the street food in Naples is going to be other-worldly because you always find the best of a country’s foods on its streets. This list will help you devise your self-guided Naples street food tour because you’ll know what to look for.
Try this street food tour Naples is known for.
So let’s get to my list of Italy street food in Napoli!
23 of The Best Naples Street Food
Naples Pizza
The best street food Italy gave the world is pizza and it was born right here in Naples!
Naples street food pizza must be made with specific dough, cooked a certain way and there are things to look for to know it’s a proper, traditional Naples food!
It must come like this:
- A whole pizza NOT sliced
- Puffy crusts and potentially bubbles of air on the dish
- Thin and sloppy so when you cut it and hold the crust, it should flop down
- The outside base of the pizza must have burned parts looking like leopard spots
There is one absolute MUST-eat pizza in Napoli and it’s Pizza Margarita which was invented when Margarita came to Naples and the chef created a simple dish using three ingredients to represent each colour of the Italian flag. Tomato for Red, Mozzarella for White, and Basil for Green. Trust me, it is the most important and tastiest food in Naples Italy!
Another best pizza in Italy is the Pizza Neapolitan which doesn’t use any cheese. Pizza without cheese, as if! I thought that too but it’s also delicious because there’s no such thing as bad food in Italy.
Oh and you must always order a whole pizza to yourself, even the kids do. For the best pizza in the whole world, head to Michelin star restaurant, Pizzeria da Michele for the Pizza Margarita for just €5. Yes, you read that right. FIVE EUROS! I love this city. This is why eating street food is an easy way to travel Italy on a budget.
Street food pizza is so unbelievably good that Naples cuisine has many types of arguably the most popular food in the world! Here are some…
Pizza a Portafoglio / Folded Pizza
The folded pizza is a beloved one to the people of Napoli. You often see locals grabbing one for lunch or taking people to their favourite place to try one.
It’s essentially Naples street pizza but folded over and designed so it’s easy to walk the streets with. So the most literal street food!
Pizza Fritta / Fried Pizza
When I heard of deep fried pizza I thought that’s definitely a food you find in Scotland, like mars bar in batter, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that it’s super popular in the homeland too!
Pizza Fritta actually looks like a calzone as it’s folded over and then deep fried. It’s usually filled with ricotta cheese, tomato and sometimes cured pork meat.
Stanley Tucci goes to an incredible family-run place in his Naples episode of Searching For Italy. I recommend watching it and then going to the place: Pizza Fritta da Fernanda.
Fried Pizza Dough Balls
I must admit, this was a strange one. They look like doughnuts except they are made from the same dough as a pizza and are not sweet but savoury, quite heavy and thick.
The balls come in portions of 4 or 5 at a very cheap price (like just €1) but I could barely finish one let alone 5!
Pizza Montanara
I know what you’re thinking, another variation of Naples pizza, surely not? Well there is, my friends.
This style of Naples pizza is small, soft and round with the tomato and cheese on top and oozing down the sides.
While this is the last on my list, I’m 99% certain there’s more styles of the best Naples food (it is the universal food after all). Some of those include pizza in a cone, a pizzette, pizza paragina and pizza scarola.
Read Next: How To Spend One Day in Naples!
Arancino Napoletano / Deep Fried Rice Balls
Arancini is a classic street food from Sicily but there was once a time when Naples belonged to Sicily and it shows in the similarities in the street food.
Arancino in Naples (sometimes called la palla di riso napoletana) is usually small balls stuffed with rice, peas, tomato, cubed meat and mozzarella. This snack is incredible and I had it multiple times when enjoying Apertivo as it usually comes out with other foods when you order an alcoholic drink.
Did you know? Arancino translates as ‘little orange’ because that’s what it looks like!
Baba / Rum Cake
Shaped like a mushroom, this Italian cake is similar to France’s Baba au Rhum, the difference being the elasticity in the Naples version but both are sponges soaked in citrus-scented alcohol, usually rum but can be limoncello.
Baba is a great thing to eat that all the locals eat and good to take home as a souvenir.
Buffalo di Mozzarella
This is a specific mozzarella that can only be found here and you know you are tasting the right thing as it will be labeled as D.O.P which stands for Denominazione d’ Origine Protetta (Protected Designation of Origin) and means it is from that place, highly tracked and top quality. A mozzarella cannot claim itself as D.O.P if it is not from this region as the laws about labelling are strict.
A similar example of this are DOP San Marzano Tomatoes which are tomatoes found at the foot of Mt Vesuvius and are exclusive to this region.
I don’t want to exaggerate but I’ve never had the pleasure of tasting something so rich, tangy, fresh and beyond incredible. There is no mozzarella like this in the whole world and I know that I can only get this in Campania so get me back there now, please!
I also tried this on my very last day in Naples and I know the universe made it happen for me and wow, so genuinely happy about this!
Cornetto
A cornetto is basically a croissant but like everything in Italy, it’s sweet and saliva-inducing. Nutella is an Italian chocolate brand and is the perfect filling in a cornetto but I also had delicious ones filled with warm, fruit jams.
A cornetto has to be enjoyed with a proper Italian coffee!
I spent 10 days in total in Campania and had about 5 Cornettos for breakfast. Don’t tell me I’m not a thorough researcher and foodie!
Crocche / Croquettes
Confusingly, Crocche in Naples are sometimes called Panzarotti but for this article we are going to stick to calling them Crocche.
Crocche are essentially potato and cheese croquettes in breadcrumbs and deep fried. I told you, all of Naples best food is fried somehow!
Crocche can be found in most glass cabinets on the street selling other fried fast food and pizza as well as being served with Apertivo in the Campania region.
Cuoppo di Frittura / Cup of Fried Fish and Seafood
This is literally a paper cup of fried food. Have you noticed there’s a fried theme going on in street Napoli cuisine?…
There’s various things that are fried and thrown in a Cuoppo but the ultimate one to try is the one with fried fish/seafood, chips at the bottom, lemon on top with a stick to eat it on the move.
Cuzzetiello / Meatball and Sauce Baguette
The original meatball sub! Cuzzetiello is a fresh baguette with the soft insides removed to make room for lots of meatballs and tomato sauce. This is street food Naples at its best.
Gino D’Campo’s has a great recipe for this street food in Naples Italy from his mother which he shares in his episode. Gino explains how his mother would make this for him and his father to go and watch Napoli play football in the Maradonna stadium so it definitely has family and culture connotations.
Frittata di Pasta
Similar to Frittatina, this is pasta (almost always Spaghetti) with eggs, cheese and pepper which is fried like an omelette.
It’s known as a pasta omelette and very similar to a quiche except it’s filled with pasta and sometimes pancetta. Pancetta and pasta is simply a match made in heaven!
Frittatina / Deep Fried Pasta in Pastry!
This was one of my absolute favourite street food in Italy because I had it in Ischia as well as Naples as it’s a popular fast food in Campania region.
Frittatina was born from the leftovers of main meals in Naples. It is deep fried pasta, usually bucatini, binded by eggs with ham, pepper, peas and a creamy sauce cased in batter. Similar to the casing of Arancini. Mine came in a rectangular shape and was as deeply satisfying as it was fried. Yum!
You may also find Frittatina con Pasta e Patate which uses the ingredients of the popular Naples traditional food: pasta, potato and provola cheese.
Read Next: How to Get to Ischia Island From Naples!
Gelato
While Gelato was not invented in Naples, like all other Italian cities, it’s something that can’t be missed because Italy just doesn’t do bad ice cream.
My rule? If there’s a queue of locals outside, the gelato is definitely one of the best so join the queue and buon appetito.
Explore other places in Campania for Napoli food such as Positano on the Amalfi Coast, Salerno, Sorrento, or the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida.
Mozzarella en Carrozza
Is this a street food Naples Italy doesn’t deep fry? As if, of course it’s fried!
Mozzarella (must be buffalo mozzarella) is placed between two slices of bread and then dipped in flour/egg mixture before being deep fried. It’s very much like a cheese toastie in eggy bread but tastes so much more magnificent. I don’t know what stretched more, the mozzarella or my love for Naples famous food.
Fun fact: Carrozza means ‘carriage’ which makes sense as the bread carries the mozzarella.
Panuozzo
Panuozzo is a large sandwich resembling a panini that is filled with ingredients like mozzarella, tomato and cold cut meats. Like most of the other Naples fast food, Panuozzo is similar to pizza as it’s made from the same dough.
Panuozzo is usually placed in the oven twice, firstly for the dough to bake and secondly to warm the sandwich’s insides.
Panzarotti
You know how McDonalds around the world always has something on their menu that is local to the place it’s in? Well in Naples, that something was Panzarotti so I had to try them here (even though they were sold in many pizzerias/street stalls around the city).
Panzarotti are small triangle parcels filled with tomato and mozzarella that resemble calzone but while a calzone is oven-baked, Panzerotti is fried.
Related Post: The Sopranos Filming Locations in Naples!
Scagliozzi / Polenta Chips
Scagliozzi is triangular, deep-fried, leftover polenta known as polenta chips and found around Naples with other street food like Arancini, Sciurilli and Crocche.
Sciurilli
Sciurilli are commonly found in Naples street food stalls. They are courgette/zuccini covered in batter, salted and fried in oil.
Sfogliatella / Naples Pastry
Every bakery will be serving this street food in Naples and unlikely to find it elsewhere in the country as authentic as in Napoli. There are two types to try:
Sfogliatella Riccia is a flaky and crispy pastry on the outside with ricotta and lemon on the inside and Sfogliatella Frolla is a soft pastry on the outside with the same filling. Both are covered with powdered sugar and best served warm and fresh. I only tried Riccia and it was right on Naples Central Station before catching a train and was a lovely breakfast with coffee.
But my favourite breakfast pastry in Naples was actually Cornetto!
Taralli
Taralli is a popular Italian snack which is small, usually shaped like half a circle, half a bow with the texture of a breadstick. It’s sort of like a biscuit and can be sweet or savoury although I’ve only tried the savoury. They are often served as part of Apertivo and sometimes substitutes a bread basket.
These are also sold in lots of shops as a great souvenir to take home!
Zeppole
The thing with a Naples street food menu is that you won’t find things from other nations because Italy has so many incredible foods, and takes on classic snacks, so why bother with anything else? A great example is the Naples doughnut called Zeppole.
Shock horror, it’s another deep fried dough! But this one is covered in sugar and filled with custard, jam or honey. This doughnut is typically eaten on Saint Joseph’s Day.
The best part about this? All the best Naples Italy street food should never set you back more than €5. food from Naples is the best and cheapest!
Now you know the names and looks of these dishes, you are so ready to sample what this Italian city has to offer!
Food Tours in Naples
If you’d prefer to be guided by a local and taken to places to try the foods and learn about history, cuisine and insider knowledge than a tour may be for you!
Here’s a selection and overview of the tours so you can decided which is the best Naples food tour for you.
For a combined Naples street food and sightseeing tour, A Taste of Old Napoli by Eating Europe is your best option. To learn about the history of Naples as well as the food, try the Secret Food Tour Naples. If you want a tour to yourself or your group, this private option is ideal. And this is the tour to just focus on the food (there’s a lot to get through)!
I’ve worked with two of the above companies before, Secret Food Tours in Edinburgh and Eating Europe in Amsterdam. I can vouch for their authenticity, value for money and delicious options on their tours so I know that their Naples Italy food tour will deliver the same quality.
I hope my enthusiasm for Napoli street food has made you excited to try this amazing grub! Let me know which one you want to taste from my first Naples food blog.
See My Other Food Guides
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